Permanisr



(No Model.)

BIL. OPPBRMANN. APPARATUS FOR'AMALGAMATING AND EXTRAGTING GOLD, &c.,

PROM DRY GRUSHED ORE.

Pa ented Oct. 12

m: Nonms PEYERS ca. Pnwnurua. wAsumcmu. a. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EMIL L. OPPERMANN, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

APPARATUS FOR AMALGAMATING AND EXTRACTING GOLD, &c., FROM DRY CRUSHED ORE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 591,682, dated. October 12, 1897.

Application filed J anuary 21, 1897. Serial No. 620,102. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EMIL LAURENCE OP- PERMANN, a subject ofthe Queen of Great Britain, and a resident of Finsbury Park, London, in the county of Middlesex, England,

have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for the Amalgamation and Extraction of Gold or Like Metals from. Dry Crushed Ore, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact specification thereof.

This invention relates to an improved apparatus for effecting the amalgamation of metals in drycrushed ores; and it consists, essentially, in first submitting the crushed ore to the action of mercury vapor and superheated steam and then allowing the resultant product to fall by gravity or forced by a blast into an amalgamating-chamber, which is supplied when required with a blast of steam and mercury vapor at suitable parts thereof. In order that my invent-ion may be fully understood, I will now refer to the annexed drawing, in which the figure is a sectional side elevation of my improved apparatus.

The dry crushed ore is carried in a hopper a, from which it is fed through a suitable outlet the aperture of which may be Varied to suit the required amount of delivery of the crushed ore. The crushed ore then enters the chamber or passage 19, which is provided with a steam or other jacket 0, and into which the perforated pipe d depends, being closed at theend. This perforated pipe cl is in communication with a supply of mercury vapor and steam at a suitable temperature and pressure, which issues from the perforated pipe d, and, mixing freely with the crushed ore, causes the gold or like metal in same to be amalgamated with the mercury. The product then falls into an amalgamatingchamber 8, having the inclined amalgamatin g-plates f, over which the mass passes. The plate f is provided with a gutter for the purmixed together in a suitable form of injecture plates therein on which the material passing pose of catching an excess of mercury and 5 against which a blast of air at g is directed in order to remove any extraneous deposit. The amalgamating-c'hamber e, at the part it, is provided at the point t' with a cold blast of air, when required, so as to condense any mercury vapor which 'might escape. The blast of air may be obtained in any suitable way, such as by a fan Z or the like. The amalgamating-chamber e is supplied, when required, with jets of steam and mercury vapor, which issue from the pipes j at k, and in addition to facilitating the further amalgamation of the gold or metal in the ore tends to keep the plates coated with mercury, and also, owing to the pressure, keeps the plates clear from sand or extraneous matter. The mercury vapor and steam are produced in suitable. retorts or boilers at the required pressure, the mercury vapor and steam being 5 Z before passing to the perforated pipe or nozzle d.

I claim- In an apparatus for amalgamating gold and the like metals in dry crushed ores, the combination of an upper jacketed chamber containing a perforated pipe adapted to deliver, under suitable pressure, mixed mercury vapor and steam; a lower chamber, inclined through the upper chamber may fall, jets adapted to deliver mixed steam and mercury into said chamber, and a jet adapted to deliver air into said chamber, substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this 11th day of December, 1806.

EMIL L. OPPERMANN.

Witnesses: WILLIAM JOHN WEEKS, S. ORANSA. 

